Method of manufacturing insulating material



June 6, 1950 A. L. b. D ELLOYE METHOD OF MANUFACTURING INSULATING MATERIAL Original Filed Nov. 16, 1940 I INVENTOR ANDRE' L.C. DELLOYE ATTORNEY Patented June 6, 1950 2,510,086 METHOD Oi MANUFACTURING INSULAT- ING MATERIAL Andr6 Laurent Camille name, Paris, France, vested in the Attorney General of the United.

inal application November 16, 1940, Serial No.

365,862. Divided and this application December 1, 1944,- Serial No. 566,233. In France Octobet 2, 1939 tion 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1948 Patent expires October 2, 1959 1 5 Claims.

For the purpose of manufacturing units for insulating heat and sound by the aid of threads of glass or other vitreous substances the hanks formed by these threads are spread out in superposed layers, which are then heaped up until each unit is of sufficient thickness for providing the required degree of insulation. Since this manufacture is carried out by hand it is not possible to obtain a homogeneous product, for the degree of insulation, which is a function of the proportion between the quantity of glass threads and the quantity of air interposed between these threads per unit of volume, varies from point to point. Since the insulating power in such a unit does not exceed that of the zone at which the degree of insulation is weakest, it follows that the quantity of glass-threads employed in the unit as a whole is much greater than the quantity really necessary for obtaining the same insulating power. To this disadvantage areto be added that of the cost of labour and that of the risks inherent in the manipulation of glass threads, which, when they break, are liable to pierce the skin, the eyes, and the respiratory organs.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacture which obviates these disadvantages. This method consists in cutting the hanks of glass threads in such amanner that the cut threads are of substantially uniform and reduced length, then disentangling these out threads in a current of fluid, and leaving the threads, thus disentangled, to settle out, thus forming a mattress or cushion, which is then dried and compressed in such a manner as to give it a thickness suitable for obtaining the degree of insulation required.

The invention further consists in the resulting new industrial product, the insulator for heat or sound or both, which consists of threads of glass or other vitreous substance, cut to a short and substantially constant length and agglomerated to form a uniform mixture, that is to say, a mixture in which the ratio between the quantity of 2 by way of examplein elevation, partly in section, in the accompanying drawing.

This plant comprises a table I, upon which are spread out the hanks of threads of glass or other vitreous material, in which the threads are arranged approximately parallel to one another, an endless belt 2 for conveying the hanks to a cutter 3, which cuts the threads into portions of the same length, and an inclined'plane 4, down which these portions slide, to fall into a chamber 5 by passing through a charging door 6.

Compressed air is delivered tangentially to the lower part of the chamber Sthrough a pipe 'I provided with a cock 8.

An evacuation pipe 9, which can be shut oil by means of a valve l0, unites the conical upper portion of the chamber 5 with the likewise conical upper portion ll of a reservoir l2, the bottom II of which is equipped with a tubular connection ll, having a valve l5, and a flared outlet l6.

The reservoir l2 may be filled with water or with some other liquid by means of a tube I], provided with a cock It. A pump I9 is connected to the upper part and to the lower part of the reservoir [2 by two tubes 20 and 2| respectively,

'- 28 at different levels for the discharge of water.

A press 21 is provided for compressing the threads of glass which have been.deposited in the moulds 22. l

The apparatus hereinbefore described operates in the followingmanner: The speed" of movement of the belt conveyor 2 and thecutting speed of the cutting machine 3 are so related to one another thatthe glass. threads are cut to a uniformlength, fixed in advance. The cutting is stopped when the lengths of thread have been accumulated in sufilcient quantities in the chamber 5. The door 6 is then closed, and the "air inlet cock 8 is opened, the valve It being closed. There is thus produced in the chamber 5 a whirling eddy of air, which disentangles the threads. The valve I0 is then opened, the reservoir l2 having been previously filled with water by opening the cock l8 and closing the valve I5. When all the threads, suitably disentangled, have been passed from thevchamber 5 through the tube 9 into the reservoir I2, the valve II is closed, and the pump it is started so as to produce an ascending current of liquid in the mixas ture filling the reservoir l2. The operations of Q transporting the hanks, cutting up the threads and feeding the chamber may then be resumed. After completing the stirring of the threads in the liquid in the reservoir l2, the mould 22 is placed underneath the aperture ID of the reservoir, the pump I9 is stopped and the valve I! opened. The glass threads then fall, with the water in which they were suspended, from the reservoir l2 into the mould 22. and this water flows away through tne cocks 24, 25 and 28, which are opened in successionli'rom the lowest to the highest, so as to obtain a regular settling of the threads in' the mould. The latter is then moved into a position underneath the press 21, which compresses the threads deposited in the mould,

until the totality of these threads has a predetermined thickness. The product is then dried.

To the liquid in the reservoir ii there may be added a material such as sodium silicate, which is capable of subsequently forming a binding agent between the threads.

The discontinuous operations describedabove may be so modified as tovrender them continuous. Thus it is possible to cause the threads, as they pass through the reservoir 12, to fall on to a plate or conveyor in such a manner so as to form a mattress or cushion, the degree of composition of which will be attained by the aid of a roller,

which takes the place of the press 21.

The treatment with water may moreover be omitted, provided the chamber 5 and the reservoir I2 aremade of such forms and dimensions that the threads disentangled in the chamber I may be held in suspension in the reservoir I2, and may fall slowly into. moulds or on to the conveyors.

Finally, an analogous device may be provided for the treatment of threads of other materials, such as asbestos for example, the threads of glass and the threads of the other materials being projected simultaneously in predetermined proportions into the interior of a reservoir in which they are mixed together, and from which they are discharged for deposition in moulds or upon conveyors.

The product formed by the threads, cut, deposited and suitably aggregated, is then enclosed in the usual manner in covers made of linen, p'aper, cardboard or other materials, in such a manner as to form insulating units of suitable shapes and dimensions. It may furthermore be provided internally with insulating rods having a certain rigidity, with a view to enabling the insulating unit to oppose greater resistance to pressures tending to deform it, the ends of these rods admitting of being pressed against one or two more rigid external layers.

The product of the invention, as compared with known insulating products made of glass threads,

presents the advantage of of volume between the glass threads and the air or other gas interposed between these fibres. Thanks to this homogeneity, and to the uniform insulating power resulting therefrom, it will be possible, as stated above, to employ insulating units of less thickness, and to attain in this way an appreciable economy of material, while obtaining in all respects the same predetermined insulating power.

The specific gravity of these elements varies according to the initial compression to which the'product according to the invention has been subjected.

This application is a division of application, Serial No. 365,862, filed November 16, 1940 which became Patent No. 2,371,880 on March 20, 1945.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. 'A method of manufacturing an'insulating material from threads of glass which comprises cutting said threads to a reduced and substantially uniform length, disentangling these out threads in a current of fluid, passing the cut threads from the top of said fluid to a second mass of fluid, allowing the said threads to settle slowly to the bottom of said last named fluid thereby forming a cushion, then drying and compressing the cushion thus formed.

2. Claim 1 in which a material capable of forming a binding agent is added after the cut threads are disintangled.

Y 3. Claim 1 in which the threads are cut into a length of less than one centimeter.

4. Claim 1 in which the threads of glass are spread out approximately parallel to each other before being cut.

5. Claim 1 in which the cut threads of glass are disintangled while in the current of fluid by a tangential current of compressed air delivered to the lower part of the body of said liquid.

ANDRE L. c. DELLOYE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING AN INSULATING MATERIAL FROM THREADS OF GLASS WHICH COMPRISES CUTTING SAID THREADS TO A REDUCED AND SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM LENGTH, DISENTANGLING THESE CUT THREADS IN A CURRENT OF FLUID, PASSING THE CUT THREADS FROM THE TOP OF SAID FLUID TO A SECOND MASS OF FLUID, ALLOWING THE SAID THREADS TO SETTLE SLOWLY TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID LAST NAMED FLUID THEREBY FORMING A CUSHION, THEN DRYING AND COMPRESSING THE CUSHION THUS FORMED. 